In nearly 100 villages in Tamil Nadu, a blood pressure check is where care begins, not where it ends.
The Share & Care Foundation has proudly partnered with Kalanjiyam Trust, an organization that brings health, education, and opportunity to rural families in Chengalpattu District. Together, through our Healthcare 2 Unreached (H2U) Signature Program, we support the Right Information Community Health (RICH) program. It focuses on three connected things:
- Care Within Reach: Catching health concerns early
- From Village to Hospital: Helping people reach the care they need
- Care That Follows Families Home: Staying with them until they are well
Care Within Reach
In many remote villages, healthcare arrives once and then leaves. RICH keeps coming back.
This quarter, regular medical camps reached more than 5,100 patients across the Lathur and Madhurantagam blocks, the local administrative areas the program serves. At each camp, the team checked blood pressure, blood sugar, hemoglobin, height, and weight. People living with diabetes received follow-up and wound care. Everyone left with nutrition and health advice suited to their needs.
Children were part of every step. Thirty-two children’s health camps screened 479 children for healthy growth, and the team shared what they found with parents and teachers. And 100 families received something simple and lasting: an infant bed, handmade by trainees at Thalir Academy, a local skill-training center.
To make sure no one is forgotten between visits, the team issued 246 family health cards. Each one keeps a family’s health history in their own hands, so the next visit picks up where the last one left off.
From Village to Hospital
In a rural village, noticing a health problem is often the easier part. Getting to the right hospital can mean a long trip, an unfamiliar system, and a day without wages.
RICH walks with patients the whole way.
Cancer awareness sessions reached 488 people this quarter, focusing on early warning signs and women’s health, including breast and cervical health. Eight people went on to screening, and three were referred for further care. Tuberculosis sessions reached another 457 people, using lung charts and simple pictures to explain symptoms and prevention. Fifty people then received spot testing. Five patients were referred to hospitals in Chennai, the state capital.
Here is how RICH makes sure a referral leads to real care:
- Spot it early. Camps, screenings, and awareness sessions catch concerns before they become emergencies.
- Point the way. The team refers patients to Government Hospitals and specialty care.
- Get them there. When distance is the barrier, the RICH Medical Van provides the ride.
- Stay in touch. Follow-up visits and health cards make sure no one falls through the cracks.
Listening Is Part of Healing
Healthcare in rural communities often sets mental well-being and adolescent health aside. RICH treats them as part of the same care.
When the team meets someone carrying stress, family worries, or fear about their health, trained counselors listen first. Then they offer practical guidance, encourage medical care when it is needed, and follow up. When counseling is part of an ordinary health visit, asking for help starts to feel ordinary too.
That care matters most for mothers. This quarter, RICH supported 135 mothers: 40 who were expecting and 95 who had recently given birth. The team tracked their health at every stage and recorded vaccinations and vitamins on personal health cards. Expectant mothers received Anbulla Ammavukku, a Tamil-language guide to pregnancy, nutrition, and care. New mothers who felt overwhelmed after delivery could talk one-on-one with a counselor.
Young people received the same attention. In sessions with 211 adolescents, the team talked openly about nutrition, hygiene, menstrual health, and why healthy hemoglobin levels matter as they grow up. Girls received sanitary napkins, and adolescents with low hemoglobin were guided toward treatment. The goal is young people who understand their bodies and feel confident speaking up.
Care That Follows Families Home
One camp can screen a patient. A program that stays can walk with her from a first check-up to a hospital visit, and to the follow-up knock on her door afterward.
That is what RICH brings to Chengalpattu District. A check-up becomes a referral. A referral becomes treatment. And a village begins to trust that help will come back.
How You Can Help Bring Care Closer to Home
As the year comes to a close, your gift to Healthcare 2 Unreached helps partners like Kalanjiyam Trust keep medical camps running, keep the RICH Medical Van on the road, and keep counselors in the villages that need them. Help more families get the care they deserve, close to home.
KEEP CARE WITHIN REACH – DONATE TODAY
